A Free Quilt Pattern, Fun Reading and Adventures at Home

Yet another fortnight has passed so it must be time for another update with Bonjour Quilts. Lots of fun stuff to share with you today, so find a comfortable spot to relax and read on…

A Free Quilt Pattern…

I’ve shared some sneak peek photos of this one over the past weeks and pattern release day has finally come. The Kansas Dust Storm quilt block pattern is a free offering from the Fat Quarter Shop.

Kansas Dust Storm Quilt Pattern Cover - Fat Quarter Shop

I sewed up a pair of cushions from the pattern and, if I do say so myself, they turned out pretty darn well.

A block made with Starry fabric by Ruby Star Society fabrics.

If you’d like to see my cushions and get all the details on fabric and quilting, then come on over to my separate blog post. Oh, and of course it’ll have the link to the free Fat Quarter Shop Kansas Dust Storm quilt block pattern.

Around the Interwebs…

The Pantone Quilt Challenge for 2025 is done and dusted. You can see all the quilt entries in Sarah’s blog post here, and then find the winners for each category right here.

If you’re looking for a new quilt challenge the Modern Quilt Guild has you covered with their Diamonds Quilting Challenge and this curated Fabric Challenge.

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I’ve heard a lot of talk about a new Netflix movie called The Quilters; it dropped on Friday and I’m looking forward to seeing it. You can watch the trailer here.

If you’re looking for a quality quilting read, Make Modern Magazine has just released its latest issue. They also have great annual and all-access options, too.

Interesting art (did you spot the bark quilt?), the prettiest mixed-media from your own scraps/recycle bin, amazing macramé with fondant (yum), paint palette inspirations, and sometimes it’s enough to just watch something gorgeous being made – I don’t have to make it myself.

Reader Quilts…

I always love to see quilts you’ve made from Bonjour Quilts patterns so please keep sending them in! Either email (Kirsty at BonjourQuilts dotcom), or tag me on Facebook or Instagram.

I’m loving Lisa’s Scrappy Lattice quilt which she made king size by adding some borders to the queen.

I'm loving Lisa's Scrappy Lattice quilt which she made king size by adding some lovely borders to the queen. The Scrappy Lattice quilt pattern can be found at Bonjour Quilts.

Another Scrappy Lattice quilt, this one by Rachel, shows how different this pattern can look depending on the chosen fabric. This one’s like a chocolate chip peach cloud….ahh (and yum).

Another Scrappy Lattice quilt, this one by Rachel, shows how different this pattern can look depending on the chosen fabric. This one's like a chocolate chip peach cloud....ahh (and yum). The Scrappy Lattice quilt pattern can be found at Bonjour Quilts.

A very cute fishy baby quilt sewn up by Vanessa, using my free Fish Quilt Block tutorial. Godspeed, little red fish.

A very cute fishy baby quilt sewn up by Vanessa, using my free Fish Quilt Block tutorial. Godspeed, little red fish.

Not only is this navy blue and white Diamonds in the Deep quilt a stunner, so too is the location Emily chose for her photo shoot. Beautiful.

Not only is this navy blue and white Diamonds in the Deep quilt a stunner, so too is the location Emily chose for her photo shoot. Beautiful! The Diamonds in the Deep quilt pattern PDF can be purchased at Bonjour Quilts.

And finally, Zuzu has also sewn up an eye-catching version of Diamonds in the Deep in lime green with a bronze contrast. A striking combination!

A Diamonds in the Deep quilt sewn by Zuzu in a bold lime green with contrasting marbled bronze fabric. The Diamonds in the Deep quilt pattern can be found at Bonjour Quilts.

Chez Bonjour

It’s been rain, rain, rain here for ages and I’ll be honest, I’m tired of being soggy.

A stepping stone path at the coastline of Mooloolaba, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.
The coastline at Mooloolaba, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.

But life goes on (as does the mould growth) so here’s what we’ve been up to.

Mooloolaba beach on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. A silver ocean on a rainy day.
The coastline at Mooloolaba, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.

I’m still enjoying my coastal walks through Mooloolaba, as the ocean looks as lovely in silver as it does in blue.

Mooloolaba beach on the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia. A silver ocean on a rainy day.
Steps at the coastline of Mooloolaba, on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia.
A purple tibouchina flower on a shrub in Mooloolaba
A purple tibouchina flower

We had one decent day the other weekend so we ventured out on a bird watching expedition. For those new to the newsletter, our youngest son (13 yrs old) has picked up this hobby (explained in this newsletter) and I’m happy to come along for the ride.

A bird watching walk in Coolum on the Sunshine Coast. The natural reserve area has many native trees, some European pine imports and a lot of paper bark trees. Tons of birds heard, but not well spotted, so we'll come back and try again in Spring.

We ventured along a creek in a nature reserve about 25 minutes from our house. It’s a very pretty walk with lots of Australian native trees (including the paper bark trees you see below) and a few invasive European pines.

A bird watching walk in Coolum on the Sunshine Coast. The natural reserve area has many native trees, some European pine imports and a lot of paper bark trees. Tons of birds heard, but not well spotted, so we'll come back and try again in Spring.
A bird watching walk in Coolum on the Sunshine Coast. The natural reserve area has many native trees, some European pine imports and a lot of paper bark trees. Tons of birds heard, but not well spotted, so we'll come back and try again in Spring.

There was a lot of bird song all around us which made for a very enjoyable, therapeutic hike. We could hear the birds and see them at a distance, but none came close enough for me to get a good photo, sadly.

A bird watching walk in Coolum on the Sunshine Coast. The natural reserve area has many native trees, some European pine imports and a lot of paper bark trees. Tons of birds heard, but not well spotted, so we'll come back and try again in Spring.

The 13 yr old has a very good set of binos (thanks Dad!), so he did pretty well and reported all the findings to my husband and I, who nodded appropriately. :)

A bird watching walk in Coolum on the Sunshine Coast. The natural reserve area has many native trees, some European pine imports and a lot of paper bark trees. Tons of birds heard, but not well spotted, so we'll come back and try again in Spring.
A bird watching walk in Coolum on the Sunshine Coast. The natural reserve area has many native trees, some European pine imports and a lot of paper bark trees. Tons of birds heard, but not well spotted, so we'll come back and try again in Spring.

I think this was the best photo of a bird I took all day. Very sad.

A bird watching walk in Coolum on the Sunshine Coast. The natural reserve area has many native trees, some European pine imports and a lot of paper bark trees. Tons of birds heard, but not well spotted, so we'll come back and try again in Spring.

But I did catch some handsome mushrooms, ha.

A bird watching walk in Coolum on the Sunshine Coast. The natural reserve area has many native trees, some European pine imports and a lot of paper bark trees. Tons of birds heard, but not well spotted, so we'll come back and try again in Spring.

Regardless, it was a great day out in nature and it helped us get our 10,000 steps. Win-win!

And just a quick shout out to our backyard flowering Pentas, which were like this 6 months ago:

And now look like this:

Penta flowers in bloom

Not bad considering the great caterpillar disaster of December ’24. Remember that? Yuck!

Our penta flowers after they were eaten by sphinx moth caterpillars
A gross bucketful of sphinx moth caterpillars

Cats’ Corner…

All this rainy weather has the cats in snuggle mode. In fact, Lulu’s on my lap right now. But they like to spend the mornings in their cat bed next to the window, catching any sun that may decide to appear. Their sleeping positions always elicit awwwws. Here’s a few we’ve seen over the past two weeks:

An orange and a brown Burmese cat snuggling and sleeping in a grey fur cat bed. They are sleepy and adorable and spend most of each morning like this. The Bonjour Quilts mascots!
An orange and a brown Burmese cat snuggling and sleeping in a grey fur cat bed. They are sleepy and adorable and spend most of each morning like this. The Bonjour Quilts mascots!
An orange and a brown Burmese cat snuggling and sleeping in a grey fur cat bed. They are sleepy and adorable and spend most of each morning like this. The Bonjour Quilts mascots!
An orange and a brown Burmese cat snuggling and sleeping in a grey fur cat bed. They are sleepy and adorable and spend most of each morning like this. The Bonjour Quilts mascots!
An orange and a brown Burmese cat snuggling and sleeping in a grey fur cat bed. They are sleepy and adorable and spend most of each morning like this. The Bonjour Quilts mascots!
An orange and a brown Burmese cat snuggling and sleeping in a grey fur cat bed. They are sleepy and adorable and spend most of each morning like this. The Bonjour Quilts mascots!

And here they are, finally, with their eyes open!

Tigger:

A orange Burmese cat chilling on his grey fur cat bed in the sewing studio. Tigger is a handsome, chatty fellow who loves ear scratches and being chased around the house by the kids. Bad habit of trying to each tomato and grape stalks and then throwing them up. Grrr.

Lulu:

A brown Burmese cat chilling on the back of our grey couch. Lulu is a sweet, snuggly, slightly overweight delight.

Have a great weekend

Enjoy your week, my friends. Take care of yourselves and don’t forget to carve out a little sewing time in your schedule. Your sanity will thank you.

Until next time,

Kirsty x

P.S. Don’t forget to check out my Kansas Dust Storm cushions post too!

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17 thoughts on “A Free Quilt Pattern, Fun Reading and Adventures at Home”

  1. Really enjoyed your Blog, photos, quilts and cats. Are they both Burmese? I had a brown Burmese for 20yrs. Best cat ever.

    Reply

    • Yes, both Burmese! They are real characters and we love them dearly. Except when they sometimes sit on your chest at 3am and say hi.

      Reply

  2. Kirsty, do you know about the “Merlin Bird ID” app from Cornell Lab? It has a microphone to listen to bird calls and will identify them. Not sure if it works in your neck of the woods, but I’ve used it in different parts of the US. It has downloadable packets specific to different regions. It is fabulous!

    Reply

    • Oh yes, we have it – and the bird pack for our region. We’ve used it successfully a few times now, it’s great!

      Reply

  3. I saw “The Quilters” the other night, and it was truly heartwarming. I love that the men have found purpose and joy in doing something to make other people’s lives better.

    Reply

  5. Always look forward to your blog posts. All the pictures are great to look at and the cats are sweet too. Love your beautiful location in your lovely homeland. Maybe one day we will get down there. Ah, everyone must have a dream. Bless you for taking time out of your busy life to inform and entertain those of us who live elsewhere. It is a very special gift you give us, with glimpses into another part of our big beautiful world. Thank you so very much. Until next time, take care.

    Reply

    • Thank you, Vinni! Yes, I love those Starry fabrics too, just enough pattern to make them interesting but they don’t distract from the overall quilt design. They are a great addition to any fabric stash.

      Reply

    • Why thank you, Vinni! Yes, I love those Starry fabrics too, just enough pattern to make them interesting but they don’t distract from the overall quilt design. I think they’re a great addition to any fabric stash.

      Reply

  7. Loved your blog post today! You live in a gorgeous area along the coast, I’m a bit envious! BTW, we saw “The Quilters” last night on Netflix – what a great example of ‘taking a negative and turning it into a positive’. All those men have decades behind and ahead in grueling & dangerous living conditions and have chosen to make foster children’s lives better by making quilts for them. With that program and others (including the inmates who train dogs for others, others who garden) they give purpose and a positive way to spend their time. Loved it!

    Reply

    • I’m hoping to watch it today, Deb. I only just realised that it’s only 32 minutes long. Should be able to fit that in!

      Reply

  8. Thanks again Kirsty for a great blog post. I smiled a lot! Some personal stuff going on here so I needed that. God bless you!

    Reply

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